Building the Aristo-Craft Signal Bridge for Henk

A Fun Project For Mike

Henk's a busy man when we run trains as he handles the important role of working Nelson Yard with Gord, Colin and Paul.  

Henk's a busy man when we run trains as he handles the important role of working Nelson Yard with Gord, Colin and Paul.  When he finds the time, he runs the RP&M trains.  Henk came to me and asked, "Mike, would you please find the time to put together a signal bridge for me in G-scale.  There's a lot of finicky work to be done with tiny screws and my hands are simply too big.  It probably won't take more than a couple of hours!"

To see these images in a larger format, simply click on the image. To return to the default mode, click outside the image.

Well, Henk was right on!

This evening I began work on the signal bridge shortly after 5:00 PM.

Before 7:30 she was complete!

Here's a short clinic on the build.

The signal bridge is from Aristo-Craft Trains.

The standard manual with only a few pages with exploded diagrams.

Yes, there's wiring for the signals which Henk will have to wire up at a later date.

Here you see the wire protruding out of the one of the two support bases.

Two supports come with the kit.

Beneath the tower walkway there is a groove to help conceal the wiring.

I added a little glue to ensure the wire stays in place.

I will paint the wires black to further conceal them.

One support is attached to its base.

A narrow groove accommodates the wiring.

A screw from below ensures the support will remain with the base.

Indeed, the screws are tiny ones.

While I know Tenax is used for my indoor models, it is the only glue I have available.

If it doesn't stand up to the outdoor conditions, it is a simple matter of adding a touch of another variety at a later date as there are only a couple of steps requiring glue for this job.

Screws are used to adhere the side bracing to the walkway.

This step was quite tricky as I had to maneuver the entire side bracing structure around the light apparatus.

Screws also adhere the supports to the walkway.

They are Phillips heads.

On a side note, I once worked for a principal named...Phillip Robertson...two screws in that name!

I carefully tucked the wiring inside the support.

I added a touch of glue for adherence.

This wiring will be painted black later on.

Another challenging step was placing the support for the light structure to the bridge.

It has two notched areas.

After a bit of work I was able to get it in place.

But when I began to screw it to the structure, the piece kept moving.

Clamping didn't help either.

I finally decided to ream the holes with an X-Acto blade and that did the trick!

Time to paint the wiring to further conceal it.

It's coming together nicely.

A few clamps help to glue a couple of sections together.

She's done!

I'll let Henk paint and weather the structure should he chose to do so.

A head-on shot.

An aerial shot.

I think Henk will be pleased...after all, with his handsome looks, any model would look good in his care!

Thanks for checking in!  

Mike Hamer,  Ottawa, Ontario, Canada